Single malts and Burns favourite howff: Is this Scotland’s ultimate 19th hole?

If there’s anything golfers love more than a 300-yard drive, it’s the 19^th hole. Sitting back with a drink to discuss the highs and lows of your round is often the most enjoyable part of the day.

Usually that post round experience involves a pint in the clubhouse bar and perhaps a spot of pub grub to restock the energy levels.

But what if you could combine your golf with whisky tasting, a distillery tour and dinner at the table Burns himself once ate at?

Head to Dumfries and Galloway and you can have just that.

The area is home to some fabulous courses from the Mackenzie Ross-designed Southerness and Castle Douglas to Lochmaben and Thornhill.

Each course has its own charm and offers a fun but testing challenge. Mackenzie Ross was behind the restoration of Turnberry after the Second World War, but the links at Southerness is seen as his finest solo design.

Dumfries and Galloway is also extremely accessible at just two hours from the Central Belt, two hours from Newcastle, and three hours from Manchester.

But the cherry on the cake is the combination of Annandale Distillery and The Globe Inn, a coupling that offers a quintessential Scottish experience.

Nearly 200 years of whisky history at Annandale Distillery

Stop by the Annandale Distillery after your round and you’ll be visiting a site with a history that reaches back to 1830. It’s now in its fourth era of whisky production and its drams are enjoyed all around the world.

Here you can discover the beauty of Single Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The distillery’s guides will walk you through their production with guided tastings.

You can take in a one-hour Classic Tour that encompasses the history of the distillery and the production process. You’ll also get four tastings, including the distillery’s ‘Single Cask, Single Malt’ whiskies.

Avail yourself of the two-hour 1836 Tour and you’ll enjoy a journey through Annandale’s storied past. You’ll get to explore the historic stills and equipment, and witness the passion that goes into every bottle. Again, you’ll get to round it all off with tastings of the distillery’s signature whiskies.

Insider tips, great buys and award-winning food

For the true dram lover, you can take in a whisky Masterclass, which delves into the art and science of whisky-making. You’ll get insider secrets and tasting tips and develop a deeper appreciation for the craft.

If you like what you’ve tasted, then you can snap up a bottle in the store. Or if you want to invest yourself, you can buy a cask which you can keep on site and then bottle yourself later on. You can get peated and unpeated and it means you would have your very own whisky.

Then if you’re feeling peckish, pull up a chair in the award-winning Maltings Coffee Shop, where a warm welcome awaits along with a seasonal menu filled with homemade cakes, sandwiches, light bites and afternoon teas.

Eat where Burns held court

If you’re looking for the perfect way to round off your day, then pop into The Globe Inn in Dumfries. The Globe was Rabbie Burns’ favourite howff and where he was inspired to write many of his most famous works.

Burns spent most of his nights there after moving his family to Dumfries to work as an excise man. His table and chair from where he used to hold court are still there in the Burns Dining Room.

The famed poet was also known to fling open the windows by his table and read out the newspaper to passers-by who would stop to hear the latest from events of the time such as the French Revolution.

Michelin dining

At The Globe you can enjoy a la carte dining at the 1610 Restaurant, which fuses modern and classic culinary delights. You can also settle yourself into the bar where there are over 300 whiskies to choose from. They include some of Annandale Distillery’s drams that are only available here or at the distillery itself.

The Globe has a Michelin listing and has been named the best dining experience in the country by Visit Scotland. It’s easy to see why. Head chef Fraser Cameron was a regional finalist for the Roux Scholarship and the venue has a unique offering.

If Burns is a passion for you, then The Globe runs daily tours that bring to life his links with the venue. You can sit in his chair, and you can even dine at the table he ate at.

Let’s be honest, no other 19^th hole can you offer you that.

For more information visit the Annandale Distillery or Globe Inn websites.

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